Monthly Archives: October 2012

Post navigation

(Colin)
ok lets start with something that we briefly covered in last weeks show, Starting on October 10th, the first set of players will be reaching the 1000-day mark and are going to start receiving the veteran rewards, ah but what are they you ask? Well let’s have a delve

First up the Exclusive Veteran Starships starting with the Chimera Heavy Destroyer.

Starfleet Corps of Engineers (SCE) has been working on a special new destroyer class starship, designed for high-level combat situations. The project was so secret that access to the Utopia Planitia shipyard was restricted for months while the project was completed. Now, Starfleet Command decided to offer the ships to its most experienced captains.

As a 1000-day Veteran, Starfleet has granted you command of this unique new starship — the Prototype Heavy Destroyer: Chimera Class.

The Chimera Heavy Destroyer is similar to an Escort, but has many qualities of Light Cruisers and Science Vessels. While in its innate Regenerative Mode, excess power is transferred to the Auxiliary System and you gain a bonus to Starship Shield Systems. It comes equipped with a prototype Dynamic Tactical System console (or DTS). This console allows you to transform your ship between Regenerative Mode and Tactical Mode. In Regenerative Mode, your Tachyon Inversion Beam is enabled, which can siphon shields from multiple targets. Activating Tactical Mode transfers power to your Weapon Systems, and increases your ships Starship Targeting Systems skill, granting an Accuracy bonus. In Tactical Mode, the DTS console enables a powerful multi-targeting Lotus, which is capable of piercing multiple targets. However, while in Tactical Mode, your Starship Shield Systems bonus, Auxiliary Power bonus and Tachyon Inversion Beam are disabled.

(Dee)

If your eligible, this ship can be claimed from ‘Starship and Shuttle Requisitions’ at a shipyard. If you discharge this ship, speak to the ‘Starship and Shuttle Requisitions’ contact to receive another token to re-claim it.

An interesting side note is the fact that the Chimera Heavy Destroyer’s design was based off one of the ‘Design the Next Enterprise’
So to the nitty gritty and the specs

When in Regenerative Mode you get the Tachyon Inversion Beam, when in Tactical Mode, Phaser Lotus which hits multiple targets!

(Colin)

Not to be outdone, An engineering team at the Klingon Empire Shipyards have designed a heavy ship with increased maneuverability that is nimble enough to outmaneuver a cruiser but strong enough to take a barrage from an escort. Only experienced ship commanders with the backing of the High Council will have the chance to fly this ship.

As a 1000-day Veteran, the Klingon Defense Force has granted you command of this unique new starship — the Prototype Heavy Destroyer: Peghqu’ Class.

The Peghqu’ Heavy Destroyer is similar to a Raptor, but it is much more versatile. While in its innate Regenerative Mode, excess power is transferred to the Auxiliary System and you gain a bonus to Starship Shield Systems. It comes equipped with a prototype Dynamic Tactical System console (or DTS). This console allows you to transform your ship between Regenerative Mode and Tactical Mode. In Regenerative Mode, your Tachyon Inversion Beam is enabled, which can siphon shields from multiple targets. Activating Tactical Mode transfers power to your Weapon Systems, and increases your ships Starship Targeting Systems skill, granting an Accuracy bonus. In Tactical Mode, the DTS console enables a powerful multi-targeting Lotus, which is capable of piercing multiple targets. However, while in Tactical Mode, your Starship Shield Systems bonus, Auxiliary Power bonus and Tachyon Inversion Beam are disabled. So basically this is the Klingon version to the afore mentioned Federation ship.

(Dee)
Again, If eligible, this ship can be claimed from ‘Starship and Shuttle Requisitions’ at a shipyard. If you discharge this ship, speak to the ‘Starship and Shuttle Requisitions’ contact to receive another token to re-claim it.

Once again like it Federation counter part you have Regenerative Mode with Tachyon Inversion Beam and Tactical Mode with the Phaser Lotus.

(Colin)
As well as the ship there are Other Rewards so what else do you get? Well a new title for one;

Starfleet Veteran (Fed) and Empire Veteran (KDF) Title

This in-game title can be set through the Character Status screen. If you have the default keybinds set, press “U” to bring up this menu. From there, double-check that your character is chosen from the left column, and then click the “Edit Record” button towards the bottom to change your title.

(Dee)
As well as a new ship and title you get a FREE Starship Slot, handy as your about to get a new ship to play with.

Your Federation and Klingon characters will gain access to an extra starship slot. Visit a shipyard and speak to the “Select Your Ship” contact to see your available slots.

(Colin)
Active on the forums? We if you are you also get Exclusive Forum Titles,

Two new titles are available to 1000-Day Veterans: Starfleet Veteran and Empire Veteran. Forum titles can be set through the “Edit your Avatar” section of the forums when signed in, towards the top-left. To set the title of your choice, scroll down below the default selection of avatars to see the titles available to you, choose the “yes” radio button next to the one you’d like to display, and click “Submit Title” to confirm.

(Dee)
Now before we move on we would like to read this Note from the Original Designer of the Chimera Heavy Destroyer;

“I’ve been a huge Star Trek fan ever since I was a kid and I started designing my own Trek ships about the time I first discovered crayons, so when I heard Cryptic Studios was holding a contest to design the next starship Enterprise for Star Trek Online, I couldn’t break out my digital tablet fast enough. I’ve been working hard for the last couple of years to improve my skills as a digital artist with the hope of one day breaking into the industry, and this was too good an opportunity to pass up, in addition to being a Trek fan’s labor of love.

I started sketching concepts and zeroed in on my final design very quickly. I’d been tinkering with the basic look for several years, an elongated primary hull with a set of compact but powerful looking warp nacelles. I didn’t give much thought at the time to conventional expectations of what a ship named Enterprise should look like. It had to belong in the Trek universe and match with the STO aesthetic but I didn’t want to simply reinvent the wheel, I wanted something that would set itself apart from its predecessors and from the field of competition for the contest. One of the ways I chose to do that, perhaps unwisely in retrospect, was to go with four nacelles. Normally this is one of the surest ways to turn your design into a fanboy monstrosity but I took it as a challenge to find a way to make it work and make it look cool. It was probably the wrong choice for a new Enterprise, as reflected in the outcome of the contest, but I think it succeeded on its own merits and may have paid off in the end.

So now, a year and a half later, my ship has made it into the game after all, not as the Enterprise but as an all-new ship sub-type called the Chimera class, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I’m frankly amazed at how faithfully they reproduced my original design while managing to make it even more badass with two alternate configuration modes. The Cryptic design team really took it to the next level, doubling down on unusual elements like the quad nacelles and the stacked primary hull to create something even more unique and dynamically awesome. This ship is definitely going to stand out and I can hardly wait to see how the game community reacts to it.”

(Colin)
As of today, October 10th, all current and future Lifetime Subscribers will gain instant access to all Veteran Rewards, regardless of purchase date! This includes the 1000-Day ships.

Now is the perfect time to pick up a Lifetime Subscription to STO so you can play forever as a Gold Member and never pay a monthly subscription fee again!
.

(Colin)
Now we come to our feature introduce Brandon

(Dee) right close on the heels and as promised we are going to give away four codes to you so you can claim a holo Leta doff, in order to win a code we want you to email us the answer to this question.

(Colin)
It’s very simple all you have to do Is name every podcast that Is on the Trek Fm network, if your not sure go to the website which is Trek.fm and click the podcast bar. You have 7 days to enter from the day this episode drops.
Here is all our contact details including Dees twitter and how you can email us your answer.

(Dee)
Now next week we won’t be producing an episode because we will be in London for Startrek London from the 19-21st, but while we won’t be producing an episode we would love to meet you. You can find us in the Fan zone and if you come up and you don’t have a three day pass, which means you don’t get a holo Leta code. We will have 7 more codes to give away. So let us know you listen to Deck eight and if they’re still available you can have one.

(Colin) now in order to make it fair we will give 2codes away friday three on Saturday and two on Sunday. So it will be first come first served.

This time last week (today is the 26th October), i was in London in the depths of running around like the proverbial Chicken on the first day of Startrek London.
The well planned out Journey down met with the inevitable delay and i eventually arrived at the Event nearly an hour late. consequentially instead of heading for the hotel i had to go straight to the Excel and set up for the opening and get my press badge.
Then we hit the next snag, yes i got my press badge yes i got my fan zone badge but i had no banner, the Welsh wizard had gone for a jog!. That said i laid out the flyers both my own for Trek News and Views and Trek.fm, but also the third party flyers i had been asked to lay out for other people.Eventually the banner and the business cards arrived and we finished setting up. Then began the press junket, this involved a photo shoot, then the video people got to wade in followed by the approved writers from newspapers and magazines e.t.c. Then we thought it would be the bloggers but no this was not to be. i then approached the press officers and asked when we would get our turn. i was informed that they would sort it and just wait till the photo ops where over. So i returned the the photo section and snapped away.

The stars where fantastic and very accommodating, posing this way and that amid a flurry of flashes and with people standing on steps,stools and so on. they wheeled them out introduced them and away went the cameras again, in quick succession we went from William Shatner to Avery Brooks and so on. Out Came Connor,then John De Lancie then Rene and so on. I was rapidly switching between my phone camera and Toms high end camera in order to get my own collection of photos.
What i was seriously impressed with was the Trekkie Girls, they where nothing short of awesome. Carol and Sam worked together perfectly with the assistance of the Video camera guy they where using and high end recording equipment the girls got to talk to people and gain access that others envied.

As the Stars retired to the press area we managed to grab a few moments with them Cirroc, Michael Dorn and So on happily posed for photos in there, which i have tweeted. While also freely shooting the breeze. although no recording and so on was allowed in there, i did manage to get some sound bites from John De Lancie which i have inserted into the podcast (episode 51) and the over all impression i gained of the stars was impressive less so the organisation. Mr Q aimlessly looking for his handler and where he was supposed to go next, Rene asking about how he would be taken to his hotel and not getting the required answer all added to the mix.
But onto the rest of the Day i wandered over to the Bloggers lounge an area that was designated for us, the Trekkie Girls and Trekmate. I said hello to everyone although apparently i neglected to say hi to Wayne for which i have apologized, then went back to our table to talk to Tom. Over the Course of the weekend i actually seldom used the bloggers lounge when your relegated to a side line you kinda think why me? So instead i opted for the press lounge and did all my blogging and note writing in there. Which turned out to be benefical because i got to know the girls in there very well as well as the other members of the press corps. Exchanges of cards,email addresses and so on followed.
so to the Venue the Klingon zone was impressive it had a large Statue at the entrance of a warrior, a throne,the Klingon symbol and flames affects all very well done. This was located on the left hand side of the venue as you entered.

there was vendors and so on dotted around some reasonable some unreasonable as mentioned in previous blog posts, there was also the stunt show,the tos bridge photo shoot which i did not so as i have already got that picture from Florida.the free talk stage, the autograph area and the photo shoot area as well as the main stage where the captains talks took place.
On the night was had the klingon party and there i met and chatted with a few more stars and had some good laughs with them.

Alas again the pricing popped up a small and i do mean small bottle of beer was £4.50 and a pie was £5.10 lots of people voiced the disgust at this blatant rip off in the pricing stakes.
Still day one finished and i went back to my hotel and collapsed after answering a few messages on my phone.

Day two saw me getting my first Captains talk which was Scott Bakula, Tom minded the Store for a bit and i went to the show. Scott was great a wonderful talk a suitable amount of gushing from fans and a very entertaining person.

This was also the day that i spent 15 minutes having a general chit chat with Chirroc and JG, while also getting Matt his little present. I also met Tanya and Jade today as well as Midnight Shadow,Dave,Dan,Sirus and so on it was wonderful to meet all these people from Startrek Online and Listeners to Trek News and Views as well as Deck Eight Fans as we ll as getting my own little lock box which made my day no end.

Then on the night we had the Federation party i had a lot of fun at this one sharing a taxi ride with two would be serial killers who are now twitter friends,

as you can see a wide variety of posts, this was also where i got to talk to Ira for Mike from Commentary track stars it was a far better party than the previous one, more people more acts and a wider variety although the drinks where still expensive, but being for warned i brought my own this time.i also spent time with Tom, Jon,Vesta and her hubby and Jade was in the there somewhere.

Sunday i was a fan and got to get some Autographs photo shoots and the remaining talks done, which o cover in the podcast so won’t double up on here, i also got the meet more people made some more friends who we now follow on twitter, as well as bumping into people from the previous parties and so on. Sunday was my fan day and it was a great day i also got Lorrie her present on Sunday. So came the last talk Kate mulgrew and she was brilliant again i cover it in the podcast but i do feel she gave one of the best talks.
So as the doors closed and the shutter came down it all drew to and end and we have spent the remianing week on twitter thinking about it.
But there is always next time and of course Vegas! for now listen to podcast 51 for more thoughts and insights and thank you for reading.

Day three
The queues are horrendous today, the virtual queue system seems to have been abandoned completely in relation to some photo sessions with people getting in who are number 47 or higher while those with low numbers look on with puzzled faces.
The merchandise prices are ridiculous there is a vendor who set up shop on Friday selling Star Trek mugs at £10 a go 4 for £30. Today the same vendor is selling them at £25 each!
The official Startrek London t shirt is £30 and comprises of simply a black t shirt with the Startrek London logo on it, some t shirt vendors are great. The official CBS one for instance is retailing some great high quality merchandise at a variety of prices. You can also buy books pictures and so on at a few different vendors, there are models available some great sculptures which will be auctioned. Then there is the museum which has a variety of items from the Porthos picture I tweeted to uniforms, weapons and so on.
The main stage has a sufficiently big screen to enable people from the very back to see the actors doing the talks, the autograph sections are well orchestrated there are cafes either end of the hall, one is certainly a wonderful incarnation of Klingon with a throne, artificial flames and so on.

When I get home I will certainly write an indepth blog and not this little nugget, but me being me I wanted to keep everyone up to date. I guess when Vesta tweeted this morning that I wouldn’t last more than two hours without working the fact I lasted 80 minutes was close. What can I say.

Day two
The day turned into something significantly better as it wore on, I got to meet a whole host of people from twitter and have met about 40-50 people who listen to the cast, I’ve made new friends spent 15 minutes shooting the breeze with Cirroc and JG, got bumpers and a personal message for Mike from commentary track stars and spent the evening listening to Avery Brooks, Chase,Anthony and so on entertain us. I still circulated the venue engaging with fans talking to people at the convention to get thoughts and feedback and found that very engaging. After all without the fans non of this would exist. The organisation has some holes though, for example some of the VIP ticket holders had no seat for the captains party. Not something that should happen to people who have paid three thousand pound. Also there have been some “hissy” fits thrown by people who cannot get there own way.
But to me it was all about the fans, I was particularly touched by how brilliant everyone has been, Jade waited by my stand just to see me. Tan came to fund me and Dan brought me a goodie bag to say thanks for everything I do, that had me smiling like a madman.
At the evening party I saw Jon,Tom and Vesta whose husband seemed to have been relegated to pack horse and I again got chance to just talk to Ira and Anthony while Avery was playing, how surreal was that!
So today we begin day three and today I’m a fan so with that in mind I’m off to queue up for Avery and his talk.

Day two thus far.
After getting some sleep last night I felt a lot better for the day to come, it was with renewed optimism that I entered into the second day. Hopefully I thought today will be a better day. I mean what could go wrong today. I had resigned myself to the fact that the so called bloggers lounge would not be a place to work, so instead I elected to use the press lounge instead, arguably better from my perspective as it enabled me to also use power blocks. I also would not need to ask for a key, that is supposedly shared. The press side of things is something that has not been as good as I would hope, again you can’t get any help and so I’ve been going it alone again. Today I took a different route and interacted with the fans, talking to them about the convention meet up with people who up until now I have only known from twitter it’s been a revelation in that respect and I think that’s what cons are about.
You can meet the stars get the photo or autograph have a mingle, but the big thing is the fans, the big thing is greeting those who share a common interest or in some cases a common passion. It’s interacting with this people and getting the feel for what Star Trek means to them. This is what a con is a meeting of minds. A coming together of people with a shared passion and interests, a room full of thousands of people who like what you like. This is the best thing about the con . Some of the costumes are brilliant, some not so, but I does not matter to them. You see to them it’s fun, to them it means something and that is the true power if Startrek a meaning a sense of purpose. At this convention people from all round the world are meeting up and greeting together and finding somewhere they belong. The celebs are just the cherry on top.